Petition filed against Pervez Musharraf's possible exit from Pakistan

A petition seeking to restrain hospitalised former Pakistani military ruler Pervez Musharraf from travelling abroad for treatment was filed in a court in Islamabad on Friday by the son of a slain cleric of the radical Lal Masjid.

Haroon Rasheed, son of cleric Abdul Rasheed, asked the Islamabad High Court to instruct the Interior Ministry to provide Musharraf with the best medical facilities in the country and bar him from exiting Pakistan. The petition said 70-year-old Musharraf had several criminal cases pending against him, including one relating to the alleged murder of Rasheed.

The cleric was killed when army troops stormed the Lal Masjid in Islamabad to flush out extremists holed up in the mosque in 2007. Speculation is rife about a possible exit plan to send Musharraf abroad for treatment. Musharraf was rushed to a military hospital in Rawalpindi after suffering a "heart attack" while he was on his way to a special court on Thursday to face high treason charges.

Since the news of Musharraf's hospitalisation, speculation is rife that he is seeking avenues to exit the country and the arrival of the Saudi Foreign Minister next week has been linked to the issue. Other skeptics believe that he is avoiding the embarrassment of appearing before a civilian court. An active swimmer and former commando, Musharraf is not publicly known to have had any heart problems.

The timing of the health scare immediately sparked accusations that Musharraf was ducking his trial, Dawn News reported. Musharraf's spokesman Raza Bokhari said he was conscious and "oriented in time and space" and being examined by military doctors.

The court on Thursday had granted Musharraf exemption from appearing before it for the day and ruled against an arrest warrant in the wake of his health problems.

The court had earlier ordered Musharraf to appear before it and warned of issuing an arrest warrant for him in case he failed to appear. The order had come after Musharraf missed two earlier hearings, citing security concerns after explosives were found near his residence.